Arrowhead Research Corp. (ARWR) announced that it entered into an agreement with Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK), through a subsidiary, to undertake an evaluation of a novel proprietary therapeutic monoclonal antibody candidate derived from Arrowhead's human-derived peptide targeting and discovery program.
Arrowhead said it acquired this program through its purchase of Alvos Therapeutics in April 2012. Merck will bear the costs involved in evaluating the candidate.
Arrowhead noted that its target discovery and delivery platform consists of a large library of unique human-derived peptide sequences selected for their ability to bind cell surface targets and rapidly internalize within cells of more than 30 distinct tissues and multiple tumor types.
The discovery process has identified novel receptor targets as well as novel binding sites for validated targets. The process involves screening directly in human patients under strict ethical guidelines.
Additional antibody and peptide-based targeting programs for oncology and other therapeutic areas are currently being identified and assessed for internal development or partnering.
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